Gender & Family Life

"In His grand design, when God first created man, He created duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other. As Paul stated, 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord' (1 Corinthians 11:11). There is no other arrangement that meets the divine purposes of the Almighty. Man and woman are His creations. Their duality is His design. Their complementary relationships and functions are fundamental to His purposes. One is incomplete without the other(President Gordon B. Hinckley).” We are constantly bombarded with so much confusion in the world today.  When it comes to gender this is a highly debated and touchy subject for humans in this present time. Movements such a feminism and equality have affected the state of the family. Are men honestly just too overpowered? Are women deprived of so many rights than men? Does gender really play a role in society? When it comes to this subject my opinion might be different than someone else’s. I believe that equality is important and that women were more deprived of certain rights in the past than today. I believe that there was a lot of sexism back in the day, but a lot of that has changed and there is a lot more equality in the world than before. Discrimination is never good. But with so much push for equality, I feel like feminists are going a little too overboard. Discrimination and sexism does still exist but it is a lot better than it was before. Feminists consider differences between men and females a bad thing. But what they do not often realize is that women and men are genetically and modified differently, it’s just plain factual. Our structures, characteristics, and make up, are all different. It is just how God made us. Should we really see the differences between men and women as a bad thing? In reality it’s a good thing! Women have strengths and qualities that men just do not possess. But same goes for the men. Men have strengths and qualities that women do not have. Why would God do this? I think He did it with the intention to show how men and women really do compliment each other. For those that have studied and know the story of Adam and Eve, they can relate to this topic. Eve was made by a rib taken out of Adam when he was formed or made by God. In a romantic essence, one could say that she was a part of him and he was a part of her. They both needed each in order to progress. This goes for any marriage or couple. Your partner has certain things or traits that you may not have. That is okay! Because he or she is their to help you so that the both of you can grow and become one. All these factors and values are often overlooked nowadays. How sad is this. People would rather blame the opposite sex and push others away. Speaking from a man’s point of view, I believe that women are entitled of pursuing whatever sort of career or path they choose to follow. But I do not consider motherhood to be consider something as undervalued. I believe it to be a very sacred role that without their fellow companion they can not accomplish. Men and women need each other. Instead of looking at the differences between genders, let us welcome them! And give thanks to God for making us the way we are today.

Social Class & Cultural Diversity

I have taken the time to reflect a lot this past week. I would like to share a quote that really sets the tone for this topic that I would like to address. "We know that activity in the Church centers in the family. Wherever members are in the world, they should establish a family where children are welcome and treasured as 'an heritage of the Lord' (Psalm 127:3). A worthy Latter-day Saint family is a standard to the world (Elder Boyd K. Packer)." What does this quote mean to you personally? As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are encouraged to build up Zion in our homes by establishing strong a dependable families centered around the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. God does not just desire this invitation to be carried out by only members of His church but He desires all to take upon themselves the initiative in receiving this great blessing in their life. I have seen this in my life. I come from a rich and Latin culture. Both of my parents migrated to the United States from Mexico. Growing up, I was exposed to the culture and life-style of my forefathers. My parents eventually received permitted residency here in the United States. Many other individuals such as myself, have shared this experienced of being raised by immigrant parents. This in our day is a highly rated and very debated topic. Mexican Americans make up 11.2% of the United States population. In July of 2016, it was estimated that 36.3 million people United States residents were identified as being of full or partial Mexican ancestry. The illegal immigration population of the United States peaked by 12.2 million. There are a number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. today. Why is it that so many people migrate to the United States and leave behind their countries? After serving a full-time mission I was able to notice the difference in culture and how that may affect the status of any family. I lived in the city of Merida, Yucatan for a few months with my father. I was able to understand more fully as to why people might want to leave and have an issue with the status of this country. As many are aware, there is a lot of corruption in Mexico. It is very hard to confide or trust people over there. People take advantage of others. Professionalism is not a thing over there. From an economic standpoint, the country is not as rich as the United States. Parents choose to illegally migrate to the United States also because they want to offer a better life and give more opportunities for their children. Although the benefits of taking this decision are very beneficial, the family is ultimately affected by this decision. Fathers are often the first ones to make the long dreaded trip. Once they arrive, it takes years for the rest of the family to make the trip. What might happen during that whole time? The roles of the family change. Children need a father figure in their lives and mothers obviously need that support. But if he is not present, that will ultimately change the daily routines and roles of each family member. The relationship that the father had previously with each member changes as well. Even if they arrive and everything goes according to plan, it will be as if the wife and kids were meeting a stranger or vise versa. That poses the question, is it really worth the trip? Is it really worth risking the chance of losing your family from an emotional standpoint? I do not oppose anyone that wants to come to this country to better their lives and the lives of their family. I am a prime example of being born of two immigrant parents that met and fell in love here in this country. Thanks to the decision my family was able to join the church and live a better life. If it hadn’t been for all the sacrifices and struggles that they had to go through, I would not be here today. All of the things I have and have achieved are because of them. I am grateful for the life they give me and recognize their sacrifices and now desire to my best so that I can give them and the rest of my family a better life as well. May we always strive to be considerate and appreciative towards our loved ones. And never forget that everything happens for a reason.

A Decline in Fertility

Overpopulation has always been a topic discussed by many individuals over many years. Human population has always grown throughout history, but since the nineteen-fifties, sociologists have seen a dramatic rise in population. An event called the “Baby Boom” is the cause to this controversial topic. Although unknown as to why this event occurred, many babies were born. Eventually people started predicting that this increase in population would eventually take a massive toll on the available resources on earth. This would cause many people to worry and change their mentality or way of thinking as to the number of children they should have. We see this controversial topic being brought up even today through media and other forms of advanced communication. People eventually started having fewer children. They fear that the earth is not able to sustain so many people. They even predicted that millions of people would eventually starve once the nineteen seventies and eighties hit. There were about two point five billion people on the earth in the nineteen-fifty. In nineteen-seventy the earth reached approximately three point six billion people. Today there are approximately seven point seven billion people that live on the earth. This assumption or prediction that so many people feared was eventually proved wrong. To this day there are still enough resources in order to sustain seven point seven billion people. Because of this fear however, this has caused a dramatic decrease in fertility around the world. Women are having fewer children in their lifespan. Although population continues to increase, eventually the human population will eventually drop drastically. Now what sort of changes or effects will we see if this trend is to continue? There is a decrease in families living on the Earth. This is not just due to a decrease in fertility but other factors are also at fault. Factors such as individualism, prosperity, the women’s revolution, a divorce revolution, and a sexual revolution are to be accounted for. These new trends are affecting the plans that the Lord has in store for His children. God wants families to prosper on this earth. This negative trend is changing His plans. People do not fully comprehend how important families are in society. Children are the most affected when it comes to this topic. Children are able to have better lives and prosper more in this life if they are in a secure environment. When children are not part of a complete family, they are less likely to be successful.  

Population Growth and The Family

I find the baby boom quite interesting. After World War II, people in the United States were in a state of peace and tranquility. Life could not be better. An effect of this happiness was more couples having babies. There was a huge number of babies being born at the time. Sociologist cannot explain as to why this event occurred. Approximately four-hundred and fifty million babies were born worldwide in nineteen fifty-one. "Baby Boom," was the name that stuck to describe this event. Due to this event however, predictions were made about the future. A prediction was made that in the nineteen seventies and eighty's, millions of people would starve to death due to a rise in population and a lack of resources in order to feed so many people. This would get into people's heads. They would stress over this theory. Many people would want to have more than one child, but others would advise them to be more considerate due to a fear of a lack of food. They believed that if people at that time we're not considerate in having fewer children than those kids and future generations would ultimately be affected. Throughout history, human population has always grown substantially, but it has never grown as much as nineteen-fifty and beyond. Because of this fear, the seeds of a decline of population were taking place. This fear drove people to have fewer children. Fertility has dramatically dropped because of the prediction. People would notice the trends in a rise in population and would often wonder how they were going to feed of these individuals? Although population is still growing, fertility has dropped fifty percent. The rise in population hasn't taken its toll yet. Human population has still been able to grow due to advancements in technology and medicine. People live longer. Many people do not understand this misconception of overpopulation. The news and other sources of media publicize over this issue even today. They report and worry others on this assumption that overpopulation is a huge issue, and that we need to stop this from continuing. If fertility rates continue to decrease, the world will not be able to replace all those living already on it. The number of people leaving on the earth will drastically decline. It is predicted that eventually in twenty twenty-five, total world population is projected to reach nine billion people. However it is also predicted that fifthteen years after that, depopulation will start to run its course. But since overpopulation is such a big issue, is this really to be considered a terrible thing? We must consider what sort of consequences the world will need to face if this event is to occur. There are so opinions floating around as to the number of kids a couple should have. Many of us have often pondered over this question before. Should there be a set standard for the number of kids each couple should conceive? Personally I believe there should not be a set number or standard. From a religious standpoint, I have often believed that God is the ultimate judge when it comes to that decision making. Children are a blessing that come from the ultimate creator. If He feels He must send you two, three, or twelve kids, it is for a reason. He is ultimately putting His trust you and your partner in order to raise this child and help them reach their full potential by instructing them. Providing them with all the necessary resources or essentials in order for them to survive and grow. We are not to worry about overpopulation. The Lord has always provided His children with all that they need. He made this earth for our benefit with all the valuable and essential resources that we need.

First Post

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